Thundersnow
by xLazyxWriterx
Summary: There was no right answer, and Max made a choice. Traumatized, she finds herself at the door of Dr Warren Graham. He won't even prescribe her any meds. (Warning: Harsh Language, Drug Abuse, Character Death) WarrenxMax with Max and Chloe friendship


**A/N: The lack of WarrenxMax fics on this site bothers me. Seriously. Right now, as of April 11th, 2015, there is only ONE story with these two as a couple that I've found. UNACCEPTABLE! ONE STORY. Well, until now, but you feel what I'm saying. I decided that waiting for more people to hop aboard this ship and write fics was getting me no where, so here I am.**

** I adore Warren, and I think him and Max would be adorable. I know Warren has rubbed a few people the wrong way, but I like him and his nerdy character, and I'm not into Chloe and Max becoming a legit couple. I prefer them to have a strong bromance, y'know? So, I decided to play a bit with the friendship of Max and Chloe, and with Warren and Max as love interests. My one hope is to keep them in character as much as I can.  
**

***Warnings: Use of drugs and alcohol, harsh language, character death***

**Enjoy.**

* * *

** Thundersnow  
**

**by**

**xLazyxWriterx**

* * *

"I _saw_ her actually jump, and I tried to rewind and..."

"And?"

"And...I froze time. I still have no idea how I did it, but the silence and seeing Kate and my _head_...It was so bizarre, but I made it on the roof on time. I don't know how I did it, y'know. My head felt like it was going to explode, and I swear, it felt like all the blood in my body was just draining out through my nose. "

"What happened next? Did time...go on?"

"Yeah, but when I tried to rewind again to get her off the ledge...I couldn't. I couldn't rewind, and I had to do it all by myself...I told her everything - anything - to get her down, and her sisters were the key. I convinced her to get down, and reaching for her...it just felt like time was slowing to a stop all over again. Her hand was in mine and I pulled her away. God..."

"Max, you saved her fucking life!"

"It's not about me, though - Kate almost threw herself off that roof. Fuck, she_ did_!"

"But you stopped her, Max! You're a hero!"

It was a warm evening in the junkyard, the sun coloring the area in a orange glow. Light reflected off the many hunks of metal that once were considered vehicles, and the light smell of iron, earth, and rotten garbage flowed through the delicate breeze.

Max Caulfield sat upon one of the many trashed vehicles, her knees tucked up to her chest with her arms wrapped around herself. Beside her sat Chloe Price, who was sprawled out on top of the hood of the hunk of metal, pulling at the black beanie placed upon her head. Max looked up at the sky, the sight reminding her of a painting with the hues of orange and purple. The day seemed to pass too quickly. Knowing now that she really didn't have all the time in the world sent pangs of anxiety through her gut.

It was only yesterday that Kate Marsh tried to throw herself off the roof of the girls dorm. Max was successful in talking her down, even without her power, and Kate was sent to the hospital. She could still remember the students around her - students that were partially responsible for Kate being up there in the first place - cheering and hugging her. It had felt good, and it was the a moment where she truly felt like an everyday hero.

That day had ended with a discussion in Principal Wells office where she blamed Nathan Prescott as one of the main reasons Kate tried to kill herself. She was both relieved and terrified when Nathan was suspended, and she signed the documents presented to her. She could still feel his glare, and the fearful tingles it sent down her spine. She knew he was capable of many things when he was pushed and angry, and she knew that she had to be extra careful if she wanted to make it thought the whole shitty mess.

Today wasn't awful. Nathan wasn't in school, but Max still found herself flinching at the smallest things, and she made sure she was alone as little as possible, which hadn't been much of a problem. Before and after classes, most of the school busied itself with making posters, cards, and gathering flowers for Kate. Part of Max was irritated that it took Kate trying to kill herself for the school to realize what assholes they've been. Mostly. There were a few that Max knew that genuinely cared for Kate; Alyssa, Stella, Dana, and Warren.

She had spent most of the school day with Warren after telling him everything that went down the night before. He knew that she was afraid of what might happen to her after blaming Nathan, and he stuck around as much as possible, joking and distracting her to the best of his abilities. It had worked, too. She was incredibly grateful for him and his company through out the day; his nerdy jokes, his help with the photo collage her and Alyssa were making for Kate, his bizarre theories for the unscheduled eclipse that occurred, why he believed that Sylvester McCoy did the best portrayal of the Doctor, his Breaking Bad references, his hearty laugh whenever Max failed to fully understand a science-based joke and his thorough explanations, the sarcastic glint in his eye when she defended Final Fantasy: Spirits Within and its amazingness, the talk of going to the drive in with his new set of wheels, the way he expressed his concern over Kate's health, his promises to go with her every time she went to visit Kate, his goofy smile...

She was so grateful for Warren.

Chloe had come to pick her up that evening so that they could talk in her "not so secret hangout." So, here she was.

Max sighed, rubbing her hands together. Chloe pulled out a cigarette and her lighter. She lit it, and inhaled, savoring. "How's she doin'? You go see her yet?" she asked, exhaling. Max shook her head.

"She's on suicide watch right now, and they're running some tests before anyone can actually see her. The first chance we get, me and Warren are gonna go check on her."

"Your dorky friend that took a blow to the face for you?" Chloe asked with a slight smirk.

Max gave a small laugh. "Yeah, him."

"Hm. Interesting." Chloe said simply.

Though Max didn't want to know the implications within the simple word, she asked away, "How so?"

Chloe took another hit of her cigarette, turning to give Max a knowing look, raising a thin brow. Max stared back, confused. "What?"

"Dude, you know what." Chloe smashed her cigarette before flicking it into the dirt, a smirk still pulling at her lips. Max left it at that, not wanting to get into the implications of her friends words. She had done fairly well in avoiding the embarrassing talking with Dana already, and didn't want to have them with Chloe. Well, not yet, anyway.

Max inhaled deeply. The sun was beginning to set, and Max could see dark clouds forming within the pink sky. A thought of whether it would rain again passed through her mind. She was started when Chloe shrugged her jacket off and practically jumped up and off the car, stretching and reaching for the sky, moaning loudly. She turned to face Max, one hand on her hip.

"Dude, you should be ecstatic! Not only have you saved my life _twice_, but you saved Kate from making a permanent decision to a temporary problem! You're a fucking superhero! All you need is a cape, and maybe learn to fly or something." Max couldn't help but laugh at the image of her soaring through the air around Blackwell Academy. With her luck, she would end up flying right into Brooke's drone and crashing, and giving Brooke another reason to be annoyed with her. It was probably for the best if she stayed on the ground.

"It was close, though, Chloe." Max reminded her. "I can't abuse these powers anymore. What if something like yesterday happens again, and I can't rewind. What if I make a mistake, and someone suffers for it?"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. ...But, we can play _sometimes_, right?"

"Did you hear anything I just said?" Max laughed. "No more play." Chloe gave an exaggerated sigh, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Man, you need to get laid."

"What!?"

"It'd loosen you up." Chloe winked at Max. "I bet that boy-toy of yours would _gladly_ help."

Max could feel her cheeks heat up, and she threw the jacket Chloe had taken off at her. Chloe caught it, and continued to tease her.

* * *

Laughing. Was that what he heard...?

Yeah...

Dammit...

Frank Bowers sat beside his RV just outside the junkyard. Donnie* was inside, snoring loudly, leaving Frank alone in the weakening day light. His eyes were heavy, dark circles clouding under them. His fingers trembled as he unzipped his dark jacket, shaking it off, setting it on top of the handgun. He reached for the piece of rope behind him, and attempted to tie it around just above his elbow. After a few attempts, he managed to tie it tightly enough with his one hand. He rubbed at his eye before placing his elbow on his knee. His free hand ran over the faded track marks on his inner elbow lightly, his arm twitching, and down to the bracelet wrapped around his wrist.

This was the second time. He was usually more of a pot guy with a little bit of cocaine sprinkled here and there...but it had become harder these past months. He slept more and ate less. He smoked more and more, but everything was still gray and dull. Aches and throbbing appeared all over his body with every breath he took, and his chest was always tight. Pills, pot, coke, booze...it all just added to it. To the pain.

This morning, he shot up for the first time. The immediate relief in the pit of his stomach, the sudden alertness of his surroundings, his heart pounding rapidly as the blood in his veins rushed through him in a way that made him light headed, his body becoming covered in sweat due to the pleasure tingling through his nervous system for the first time in six months...

It was over all too fast, and he became a limp hunk of flesh on the floor of his RV, Donnie sniffing and licking his shaking hand.

Fuck.

Frank positioned the needle right above the purple vein that ascended through the thin skin. He held his breath, and soon, all painful thoughts of her disappeared from his mind.

* * *

"Stepwad has been on my fucking case about his gun." Chloe said, sending Max an accusatory glance. Max looked down at her hands.

"Can we not talk about that?" Max pleaded. That was a moment in her memory that she wished she could erase. She had never pointed a gun at anyone, let alone shot someone. It was no wonder that she froze, and she wished that Chloe would understand that.

Chloe sighed. "Yeah. I just...I just wish you wouldn't have just given that douche the gun. Psh, 'insurance,' my ass. Now, I can't exactly grab another gun without Step Fuck getting his panties all twisted, and now I can't protect myself or you."

"Chloe, please don't be mad."

"I'm not. I'm just...Ugh, I dunno. Disappointed, I guess. I thought that you would've had my back or something..."

Max hated when she did this. Chloe was a master at the guilt trip; even when they were tweens. Max looked up at the cloudy sky. "I'm sorry. But, can you imagine the shitfest if I had actually shot him? I mean, what if I missed and he hurt us!"

"You would rewind, shove the gun in his mouth- BOOM! We go home with a some peace of mind." Chloe replied, shrugging. "Anyway, we should head. It's getting dark, and I have somewhere I need to be tonight. Ready?" Chloe reached into her pocket, pulling out her panda key chain.

Max frowned. She wasn't sure when exactly their conversation went from laughing and having fun to sour. She knew Chloe would get over it; she always did. Max hopped off the hood of the car, and wiped the dust off her jeans. She glanced up at Chloe.

"How about I make it up to you?" Max smiled. "I bet I could convince Joyce to start giving you more bacon during breakfast."

Chloe scoffed, rolling her eyes with a grin spreading across her lips. "Yeah. While you're at it, make her dump Sgt. Douche Bitch." Max gave a small laugh.

"I'll do my best."

Chloe laughed with her, grabbing her jacket and putting it on. "Let's go."

Just as they were about to head in the direction of Chloe's truck, the sounds of falling metal parts and mumbled curses was heard. The two turned around at the noise, startled.

"_Shit_!" More crashing and clangling. Max sent Chloe a worried look, and Chloe's eyes squinted, brows furrowed. That voice...

Her eyes shot back open, wide as her body tensed. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted.

"Heh, isn't it past you girlies' bedtime?"

Frank appeared before them, kicking a beer bottle as he approached them. His jacked had been removed, leaving him in a red tank, revealing his tattooed arms along with the rope still tied above his elbow, goosebumps rising on his flesh. His eyes were red and wild, his greasy blond hair sticking up and everywhere. He has small scratches along his cheeks, along with what looked like died tear stains. Scratch marks were also visible along his arms, neck and chest. He visibly shook, and his breathing was heavy. The mere sight of him as a whole terrible Max right down to her core.

He gave them a cocky grin, pointing at Chloe. "Oh! I know! Yooou just couldn't _wait_ to pay me off, could'ja? Nawww, how _sweet_ of ya!" He clapped his hands, his bracelet sliding along his wrist with every connection.

Chloe stiffened, and Max could instantly feel the rage that radiated off Chloe. "I told you I would have it by Friday." Chloe spat through clenched teeth. Frank laughed, looking around and scratching his head.

"Right! Riiight! Friday! Haha, well, y'know, I've been doing some thinking, heh, and I think I want it now." Frank took a few steps towards them. Chloe's eyes widened.

"What! No! You said Friday, you dick! You'll get your money-"

"Oh ho! Haha, where have I fucking heard that one before!?" Frank scratched harshly at his neck, his red eyes watering. "I know! How about from every fucking loser stupid enough to bit off more than they could manage to chew!" His shaking finger pointed at Chloe. "Liiike, you." He continued to laugh.

Max grabbed Chloe's arm, ready to say something when Frank turned his attention to her. "Well lookie'ere! I remember you!" he smirked as he reached behind and pulled the handgun from the back of his pants, shaking it in front of them. "I don't think I ever said thanks for the interest! How rude of me!"

Max froze, her heart skipping a beat. Frank's threats came rushing back to her, and she thought about grabbing Chloe and making a run for it, but couldn't risk it. If he shot her, she wouldn't be able to rewind.

Chloe raised her hands, stepping in front of man. "L-look, Frank. I told you - I promised that I would have it by Friday! You will get your money!"

Frank studied the gun in his hand as he scoffed at her promise. "So many false promises..." he muttered quietly.

Max attempted to steady her breathing, and finding her voice, she stuttered, "P-please, Frank. J-just leave us alone."

Frank slowly looked up from the gun and met eyes with Max. Overwhelming rage suddenly coursed through his body, and he gripped the gun tightly. "You shut the fuck up girlie before I pump your belly full of lead!" He took rapid steps towards the two girls.

"Hey, don't you fucking-" Chloe started before Frank reached up and shoved her onto the ground. His large hand found Max's throat before she could react, and he grasped her tightly, blocking any air that dared escape. She clawed at his hand, trying to free herself.

"You're nothing, bitch! Hows about I crush your neck right here!? Then, maybe _Chloe_ here will take this shit seriously!" He snarled, bringing Max close to his face. His eyes were practically black, sore and puffy, and she could see the deranged rage that pooled within him. She could feel her chest start to hurt due to the lack of air, and her strength was draining.

Chloe, still on the ground, tried to gather her thoughts once more, the blow knocking her senses off key. When she regained her sense of what was happening, panic welled up in her chest, and she shot up. She jumped on Frank's back, pulling him. "Don't you fucking touch her!" she shouted in his ear, using every bit of her strength to drag him away.

Frank let go of Max, who sucked in a huge gasp of air, falling back. While her vision was a bit blurry, she could make out the figure that was Frank as he shrugged Chloe off his back, and whirled around. His fist connected with Chloe's cheek, sending her back. Without a thought, just pure instinct, Max was on her feet, going for Frank. Frank saw her from the corner of his eye, and swung his arm around. The handgun met Max, and pain rippled through her entire nervous system as she landed on her back.

She saw black, and heard a number of grunts and screams. Max could hear the struggle, and she came to her senses. She ignored the pain in the right side of her face, and got to her knees. There was a ringing in her ears, and she tried to find Chloe in the blurred world by her muffled cries.

A crack sounded through the air, and through Max.

Max reached for her head, her vision clear. She saw Frank on top of Chloe, the barrel of the gun connected to her bleeding chest, her eyes dull and lifeless. A scream was caught in Max's throat, and she reached out to her friend.

Everything stilled, and began to rewind.

The pressure in Max's head mixed with the pain in her face was unbearable, and she collapsed , gripping her throbbing head. Blood dripped from her nose.

"YOU LIED TO ME!"

"Get off me!"

"YOU PROMISED ME!"

"AHHH! Get the FUCK off me!"

"WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU GO!? WHY'D YOU LEAVE ME!?"

"FRANK-!"

_Crack!_

"No!" Max regained herself, and rose her hand once more.

Everything stilled, and began to rewind.

Max did her best to ignore the pain and focus and going back far enough. The pressure became too much, and her arm fell. She steadied herself, and stood on wobbly legs.

"YOU LIED TO ME!"

"Get off me!"

"YOU PROMISED ME!"

"AHHH! Get the FUCK off me!"

"WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU GO!? WHY-"

Max used the last of her strength, and flung herself at Frank. Not expecting her, Frank tumbled to his side, the gun flinging from his hand. The world spun, and he shoot his head rapidly, limps shooting and flailing everywhere. He got Max in her jaw, and she pushed herself off him. Chloe ran to her side. "Max!" She practically picked Max up, and was about to make a run for it when a large hand grasped her ankle, causing her and Max to fall.

Frank dragged her over to him, not reacting to his kicks and screams. His blood was boiling, and he was beyond just shaking. He wanted to see red.

Max quickly rolled onto her side, her foot hitting something. She about cried out when she saw the handgun by her feet, grasping it in her dirty, trembling hands. She pointed it at Frank just as Chloe grabbed as a piece of broken wood, hitting Frank with it. Frank let her go, and Chloe crawled away. Frank grasped his now bleeding nose, gasping for air and letting out an enraged cry. Before he could launch himself at Chloe again, his eyes landed on Max.

Her grip was tight in the gun, and her finger shook around the trigger. Frank let out an exhausted, dry laugh. "Do it." he taunted. "C'mon, girlie. DO IT!"

Max squeezed her eyes shut, holding her breathe.

"DO IT-!"

_Crack!_

The noise echoed through the junkyard.

_Thud._

Max was shaking uncontrollably, and she felt the gun fall from her numb fingers.

"Ma...Max?" Chloe's voice was weak. "M-Max!"

Darkness overwhelmed her senses as the sounds of distant thunder enveloped the air around them.

* * *

Nightfall surrounded Blackwell Academy. Lightning flashed through the air, followed by the roar of thunder, yet it wasn't rain that fell.

It was snowing. The large flakes were lit with every flash of lightning, blowing in every which way. The snow didn't pile up, though. Once it hit the ground, it melted into tiny puddles.

Max and Chloe sat in her truck outside the school in a heavy silence. Max's eyes were unfocused, as were her thoughts. Her face throbbed painfully, and her body ached. Chloe's hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, a lump of disbelief and fear lodged in her throat.

Max didn't know how long they were parked, or how they even they got there.

Chloe swallowed roughly, slowly looking over at Max. Her lip quivered as she reached over to place her hand softly on Max's shoulder. "Max?" she said quietly.

Max jumped at the contact, and for the first time since she regained consciousness, she looked back at Chloe.

They looked at each other in silence as the snow fell all around them. Chloe opened her mouth, shaking her head. "I-I..." she broke eye contact and looked out the window. "...F-fuck, Max." Her hand reached up to cover her swollen mouth. "You don't even know how sorry I am, Max."

Max swallowed the lump in her throat, giving a light nod. "Me, too."

"No!" Chloe choked out. "Max, I'm so sorry! Fuck, I didn't think Frank would - I just..._God_! I'm such a shitty friend! He almost-!" Chloe squeezed her eyes shut, her chin quivering as she held back the tears that threatened to fall down her cheeks. She sniffed, looking back at Max. She leaned over, wrapping her arms around Max, hugging her. Max raised her arms and hugged her friend back absentmindedly. Chloe pulled back and studied Max's face.

Max's right eyes was slightly swollen, and the right side of her face was starting to bruise. Her lip was busted open, dried blood stuck to the wound, and there were smudges of blood under her nose. Her neck was beginning to bruise, as well. The shock and trauma in her blue eyes was enough to almost break Chloe's heart.

Max looked away. "What do we do now?" she asked weakly.

Chloe shook her head. "I...I don't know."

Max reached up to touch her throbbing cheek. "People are going to see us."

"Yeah."

"David is going to see us."

Chloe's body tensed, and her heart rate picked up. "Fuck..." she muttered, reached up to touch her own bruising cheek.

Silence filled the air once more.

They watched the snow fall, and felt the vibrations of the thunder. Max turned to look at Blackwell Academy, dread filling her mind. "I have to go."

Chloe thought for a moment. "You don't have to," she turned to look at her friend. "You can come to my place, sneak in and get cleaned up. Miss tomorrow."

Max glanced at Chloe from the corner of her eyes. The very idea was unpleasant to her. Every time she look at Chloe's face the image of her dull, lifeless eyes came back to her, and it terrified her. How was she supposed to tell her best friend that she needed to be away from her after everything that just happened? Just being in the car with her made her want to scream.

She shook her head, and croaked out, "No."

"Max..." Chloe reached for her shoulder again. "You can't be alone right now."

Max looked down at her feet. "I...I know. I just...I think we need some time apart, Chloe. At least...for the night." Max tired to be as gentle as she could, but she could tell without even looking up that she hurt Chloe.

Chloe jerked her hand away, looking out her side window. "I-I get it. Maybe that's for the best. Max," she turned to face her once more, "thank you. For saving my life...again."

Max nodded. "You're welcome, Chloe."

Max pushed open to car door, and stepped out. Before shutting it, she said, "We will talk more about this tomorrow. I promise. Please, drive safe."

"Yeah."

Max closed the door, and watched Chloe drive off.

She was alone.

* * *

There were no words for it. The emotions that welled within Max were like nothing that she had ever felt before. She was in a daze. It was like it wasn't even real. Like...Like Frank was just an illusion within a hallucination.

But, Max knew that wasn't true.

Frank was dead.

Max shot, and killed him. She killed him to keep Chloe and her safe.

He would have killed Chloe - he _did_ kill Chloe - if she didn't shoot him. It was different from the first time, though. Yesterday, when Frank came and crashed their bottle-shooting fun, he mocked and taunted her, claiming that she wouldn't dare shoot him. He pulled the gun from her fingers, a cocky smirk playing on his face as he waved it around. The look of defeat and disappointment she got from Chloe...

She was scared and in pain. She relied on her instinct, and it saved Chloe's life. And hers.

Max stood in the falling snow, shivering. Her legs were stiff, and her eyes were tired.

She didn't want to be alone.

She forced her feet to move, and she slowly made her way to the dormitories.

* * *

"What a week..." Warren Graham muttered to himself, watching the snow fall against a background of thunder and lightning out his dorm room window. He had never heard of such a thing as a snow thunderstorm - especially in October - and he figured that an idea like thundersnow** would have made itself aware to him.

Hm. Thundersnow. He liked that term. He made a mental note to research it tomorrow. He yawned, scratching the back of his head. He closed the blinds on his window, and sat back down in his desk chair. He grabbed a sticky note and wrote _thundersnow_ on it before sticking it on his laptop monitor. He could hear the thunder rumbling the earth outside, and felt calm. He always liked the sound of thunder, and he loved thunderstorms. The sound of rain always soothed him, and he had RainyMood*** bookmarked on his laptop for when he studied alone.

He didn't study tonight, though. He didn't have any homework due to the events of yesterday.

What a day...

He had been feeling pretty good yesterday; he managed to "bump into" Max that morning and they made plans to go see Planet of the Apes at the drive in, his eye was no longer tender and the bruising had gone down, the weather went from sunny to thunderstorms and rain, Max had helped him with his science experiment and proving that she wasn't that much of a science noob...

Then he ran into Kate. She had been crying and pushing past everyone, and she ignored him when he tried to wave and say hello. He thought about going after her and talking to her, but decided against, figuring that she wanted to be alone. Now, he wished that he had chased after her. Maybe then she wouldn't have even made it to the ledge. Dammit...he didn't think that she would do _anything_ like that, though...

Seeing her stand on that roof...He never felt such dread and fear before. He had ran out there, Alyssa beside him, and his heart stopped as Alyssa cried out for her friend. He felt hopeless. Even if he had tried to make a run for the roof, he knew that it would've been impossible for him to make it in time. He had grabbed Alyssa so that she wouldn't have to see...in case her friend jumped. He had seriously thought that there was no way to save her...

And yet, Max made it up there, and she talked Kate down. He remembered watching Kate turn around on that ledge, and spotting a figure, realizing that it was Max. He didn't know how she got up there in time, but he thanked whatever God there was that she did. He kept hoping - praying - that she would get Kate down...and she did. Kate reached for her, and Max pulled her off that ledge. He had released the breath that he was holding, and he left out a cry of relief, hugging Alyssa, who was then crying with relief as well.

When they left the building while being escorted by Mr Madson, every one was silent. The only noise was coming from the rain and the distant sounds of an ambulance. Max was holding at to Kate tightly, protectively. Right before Logan Robertson shouted something about giving it up for Max, Warren had pushed through the crowd and wrapped his arms around the two of them, Alyssa joining him. Eventually, everyone surrounded them, cheering and crying. Then, the ambulance showed up, and they took Kate away.

Warren smiled. He was glad things ended the way they did. He met with Max after her meeting in Principal Wells office, and she told him everything. He couldn't help but praise her; she was a hero! After everything she told him, though, he was a bit worried. He was worried about Nathan Prescott, and what he was capable of. He didn't want anything happen to Max, especially when it came to that asshole. So, during the day, he stayed with Max a much as he could. He tried not to be too much of a pest, and to keep her mind off of Kate and Nathan. They even made plans to go to the movies again, since Planet of the Apes was yesterday and they had to miss it. It was good to see her smile and joke around...

What did bother him, though, was the unscheduled eclipse. He kept tabs on all those things, and there wasn't anything scheduled for yesterday. He came up with a few theories, but nothing he could say was solid.

Again, strange fucking week.

Warren sighed, and leaned back in his chair stretching. He should probably get ready fo-

_Knock Knock Knock_

Hm? Warren turned in his chair at the sound of soft knocking at his door, a bit startled. He looked at the clock on his wall. 11:43 p.m. He stood up, and raised a brow.

_Knock Knock Knock_

"'Tis some visitor,'" he muttered, "'tapping at my chamber door...' at almost midnight" He pushed the thought of his dark reference out of his mind, and went to the door. He twisted the handle, opening the door and hoping that a raven wouldn't burst in.

It wasn't a raven.

Max stood in the doorway, arms crossed and head down. Warren stood there, mouth parted as though he were to say something, shocked.

"Got time for a house call, Dr Graham?" her voice was weak and dry. She looked up at him slowly, and a wave of horror washed over him. The side of her face was bruised, as was her neck, and her lip was bleeding. Her clothes were covered in dirt, and her body shook. She was hesitant to look at him, the mixture of emotions within her eyes panicked him.

"M-Max! O-Oh my god!" He reached for her, pulling her into his room. "What the hell happened!?" She was silent as he placed both hands on her shoulders, trying to get a good look at her face. "Max?" She avoided his eyes, and Warren could feel her tremble beneath his fingertips. He pressed his lips together tightly, quickly thinking.

He lightly pushed her over to his bed, telling her to sit, grabbing his top blanket and wrapping it around her, telling her to sit. She sat on his bed, and watched as he left her to go to the mini fridge he had by his desk. He opened it up and pulled out an ice tray - thanking whatever God there was once again for him actually bothering to refill it - and reached for a clean washcloth that he kept with his shower supplies. He put three of the cubes in the cloth before wrapping it up. He quickly went back to her, lightly touching to cloth covered ice to her face. She sucked in a quick breath, and he murmured an apology.

She still avoided his eyes, and he noticed that not only was her lip bleeding, but so was the underneath of her ear. Confusion, anger, and panic coursed through his heart, and he told her to hold the ice there. He left her once she had a good grip on it. He grabbed a water bottle that he used to water his plant, and another clean wash cloth. He poured some of the water on the cloth, and knelt down in front of her and carefully cleaned the blood from her face, as well as any dirt.

They were quiet, and Max finally had to courage to look at him. Her gaze lifted, and she was overwhelmed by his eyes. The Warren she knew always had a playful glint in his eyes, and a smile tugging at his lips. Now, his eyes were dark, filled with concern. His brow was furrowed in concentration, and his jaw tight. His hand worked the cloth into her skin softly, the lukewarm water somewhat soothing of the pain. He moved to her mouth, gently resting the cloth there for a moment before wiping the caked blood. She become aware of just how close he was, and she suddenly felt very warm, the urge to turn away story. She didn't, though. Frozen in place, memorized by the look on his face.

When Warren finished, he set the dirty cloth beside him. "Max," She felt the urge to bury her face in the blanket and hide from him, but couldn't bring herself to do it. "Who did this?" His voice was firm and deep, and it sent a shiver through Max. Before she could answer, he said, "What it Nathan?" His hands tightened into fists, and his body tensed.

Max shook her head, finding her voice. "No..."

Warren's expression was still dark, but confused as well. Max looked down at her hands clenching the blanket. "Who?" he asked once more. She didn't reply; hell, she didn't know where to begin.

A pair of large warm hands placed themselves upon her cheeks, and a sigh escaped her. The hands tilted her head so that they were eye to eye. She looked into his dark brown eyes, and felt a lump form in her throat. "Max," he said softly, "talk to me."

She broke down. She couldn't keep the tears in, and they cascaded down her face. She choked out a sob, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. She was instantly enveloped in warmth as Warren wrapped his arms around her, wedging himself between her knees to get closer. She hugged him back, wrapping herself around him and sobbing into his shoulder. He whispered comforting words in her ear as he stroked her hair. Images flashed through her mind of the evening, and she cried harder than she ever had in her life. Her nails dug into his shoulders and back, her legs tightened around his sides, and she soaked his black shirt with her tears.

She wasn't sure how long she cried, but Warren waited. Eventually, her tear ducts emptied, and all she was left with was a horrible head ache, red eyes, a dry mouth, and an extreme exhaustion throughout her body. Warren kept whispering comforting words, holding her close to him, and trying to make sense of the whole situation. He felt Max calm down, the tears no longer there, and he pulled away from her gently. "You're okay." he told her. She nodded lightly, sucking in air. She looked up at him, and wanted to cry all over again.

She looked away. "W-Warren..." Even though she had no more tears to shed, her sobs came back. Warren brushed his thumb lightly over her cheek, careful of the bruising.

"It's okay, Max. Tell me everything. You can talk to me." he soothed.

She knew that she could trust Warren...but she was afraid. She...she killed someone, and she knew that if she told Warren...that he might look at her differently. He would think of her this awful person involved with someone like Frank Bowers-

"Oh, God..." she whined, burying her face in his shoulder once more. "Warren..."

Warren waited for her, patiently. He would wait all night for her to open up if he had to.

She grasped the front of his shirt, and went over her options. She knew she could always rewind...but she didn't want to. If she rewound time, then she would end up lying to Warren, or not even showing up at his door, and she didn't want that. She had to tell him...

God...

She sniffled, and started, "W-Warren...I did something...something awful." Warren listened, rubbing her back. "I...I was with Chloe, in the junkyard..."

The junkyard? Warren frowned. What the hell were they doing in a junkyard?

"We w-were there, talking about Kate and stuff," she sucked in as much air as she could, and closed her sore eyes, "a-and...this, this guy showed up...He - Chloe owed him a bunch of money and he was on _something_ and he kept demanding the money and talking shit and-" her grasp around him tightened, "-he had a gun, and-" she began sobbing.

Warren's body went ridged. He pulled Max from him, staring at her, his expression filled with worry and fear. "-and h-he was on top of her and he was going to shoother and I-I justsh-shovedhimandgrabbedthegunand-" she spoke so quickly that it took moment for Warren to process her words, and when he did his eyes widened, his mouth falling open in shock.

"M-Max..."

"Ishothim!" she cried. "I shot him, Warren! H-he-"

Warren swallowed harshly, his thoughts racing at a million miles an hour. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. Max wasn't someone to get mixed up with something like this, and the fact that she did infuriated him. He rested his cheek on the top of her head, sighing. He shifted a bit, his knees becoming sore from kneeling for so long. He listened to her sob, and tried to properly process it all.

Minutes passed, and Max waited. She waited for his reaction, for what he would say. She feared for the worse, and her hand clenched, know that she could rewind it all and tell him that she and Chloe got mugged by some freak-

"Max," Warren pulled away from her suddenly, looking down at her with an expression of pain and something else that sent shocks through Max's nervous system. "Listen to me: What you did...it was self defense. If you hadn't done what you did, Chloe would be dead, and you too." He spoke slowly, looking her dead in the eye. "You need to tell someone what happened."

That spiked fear in her heart. Chloe and her agreed not to tell anyone until they talked through it all - which is a promise that she already broke. Warren could sense the instant discomfort at his words. "If you don't tell anyone...and something happens, they may not believe you. You and your friend will be in serious trouble, and-" Warren sighed, "-I don't want any more shit to happen to you." His words were quiet, and Max felt her face heat up.

Warren pulled her close once more. She hugged him back, inhaling the scent of his cologne. God, he was so warm, and his arms felt so safe. Max could feel her heart flutter in her chest, and became instantly embarrassed for feeling like this with everything that went down. She should be worried about someone stumbling across the body, even though they managed to stuff him inside the RV without his dog killing them - he was too busy crying over his master, and it nearly broke Max's heart - or about people seeing her in such a beaten state...but she wasn't. Something about Warren made her forget it all for a brief moment as she felt his muscles twitch and contract under her hands.

Warren was a good friend, and she was so grateful for him. She was so glad that he was always around when she needed him. He made her laugh, and they shared so much in common that they got along great, yet had enough differences to keep things interesting. He was sweet, and cute when he got his geek one. He looked at her like she was an angel - who had earned her halo - and like she was beautiful. Here he was, comforting her after she committed one of the worst crimes...as if she did nothing wrong. His voice, his tone, his warmth, his _eyes_...

Warren pulled apart from her once more, saying, "Everything is okay, Max." She felt her heart flutter once more, and a strong urge come over her, nearly knocking her over with surprised. She licked at her bottom lip to find that it was still leaking blood. His face was still so close, and she could feel his breath tickle her face. "You're a good person. You would never hurt anyone unless you absolutely had to."

So close...

"It wasn't your fault."

Close...

His hands were on her cheeks, forcing her to look at him while he spoke he wanted to make sure she truly understood him. He gave her a small smile, trying to comfort her.

Max's lip twitched, and she inhaled deeply.

_Close_...

She inched forward, and placed her lips lightly against his, her eyelids dropping. She wasn't prepared for the tingles that shot through her tips, through her fingertips, down to her toes. She felt Warren just a bit at the touch before stiffening. She pressed fully against his lips, the pain washing away from her mind. The kiss was light, chaste.

Warren held his breath, and his pupils instantly dilated. His mind stopped functioning, and his ears flushed. The hairs on the back of his neck stood to attention, and his hands froze on her cheeks. It felt as though his heart was going to burst through his chest and run away.

Max pulled a bit away, their lips making a light noise on departure. They weren't fully separated; their top lips were still connected. She felt Warren gasp against her mouth. Max opened her eyes, meeting Warren's wide pupils. Warren stared back, now fully aware of what just occurred between the two but still a bit fuzzy. He felt Max's hands slide up his chest, one resting on his neck while the other tangled itself in his brown locks. He swallowed hard, bottom lip quivering, and one of his hands slip down to her bruised neck.

Their eyes fell, and lips connected once more.

Electricity. Warmth. Close.

They were together for what felt like hours before mutually parting, both gasping lightly.

Warren licked at his lips, tasting the blood from her busted lip. He swallowed the taste before opening his eyes. Hers were still shut, and Warren found his senses.

Max opened her eyes when she felt his tense up. He looked down, releasing her face and neck. He didn't say anything, but Max could sense the sudden change in his mood.

"Max," his voice was hoarse and deep, and his caused her voice to catch in her throat. "Please, don't do that."

Max froze. What...?

He was gone. He pulled away from her, and stood to his feet, his legs sore. He didn't look at her, and hung his head. She blinked up at him, confused. She didn't even know what to say or what even happened.

Warren cleared his throat. "You...You just experience something traumatizing; you're confused," he glanced her way, "and it would be wrong of me to take advantage of that."

Confused? Advantage?

Max's brows furrowed in confusion. She studied his face, and saw traces of guilt and sadness. "W-Warren-"

"It's okay, Max." He turned to her, and forced a fake smile. "It...It doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're okay." He crossed his arms, and shifted his weight into one foot, looking down at the floor. "You should go back to your dorm and get some sleep."

"No," she spoke before thinking, and she stood. She felt shaky and lightheaded, but managed to stay on her feet. Warren looked up at her, a brow raised. She hesitated, but gathered every last bit of courage she had within herself. "I...I don't want to be alone tonight."

Max noticed how red Warren's ears turned, and he looked away, a thoughtful look on his face. Max held her breath, waiting for a response.

He looked over at his bed, and sighed. Without a word, he went to his drawers, and dug through them before pulling out a pair of blue shorts. He offered them to her. "Here. You probably don't wanna sleep in jeans. I'm gonna go to the bathroom, and you can change."

"Okay. Thank you, Warren." she said, blushing, taking the shorts. Warren nodded, and left.

Max quickly stripped off the dirty jeans, and slid on the over-sized shorts. She took off her jacket, revealing her light green tee shirt. She heard a crack of thunder from outside.

She let out a loud sigh, and covered her face with her hands, embarrassed. She made a fool out of herself by kissing him like that. She didn't want to rewind, though. She didn't want to erase what happened, and she wanted Warren to remember. He thought that she was just emotional - and hell, maybe she was - but after this bizarre fucking week...

She used to think of him as just a friend, yeah. And, the thought of him liking her wierded her out a bit, yes. But, after this night, after seeing him like this...exposing herself to him in such a raw way, trusting him...

"Warren..." she sighed his name.

He came back with an extra blanket, and Max could already see where this was heading.

"You can, uh, have my bed and I'll crash on the floor."

"No, Warren. I'm not making you sleep on your own floor."

Warren frowned. "It's fine-"

"We're not playing this game." Max said firmly. "Either we both sleep in the bed, or we both wake up with bad backs."

Warren gave an unamused scoff, and eyed the bed. His bed was pretty big, but to have both of them...after the intensity of the situation and the kiss...

Max sensed his hesitation. "I trust you, Warren." she assured him. The two stared at each other before Warren let out a defeated sigh.

"Ladies first." he said as he motioned to the bed. Max nodded, climbing in. Warren went over to his desk and shut his lamp off, the room going dark. He made his way to the bed, and climbed in, doing his best to ignore the fact that she was so close.

They both lay on their backs, staring through the darkness and at the ceiling. Their shoulders were touching, and they lay there in silence.

Both knew they were going to have a hell of a time trying to sleep.

Max tried to forget about Frank and Chloe, and attempted to focus her thoughts on Warren. What did she want to come out of this. She was never all that into having a serious relationship - mostly due to never having a boy actually like her back- but Warren was opening up a gate of new feelings. Yes, she liked him. He was a good friend.

Friend...

Max turned her head to look at him in the darkness. She could see that his eyes were open, a thoughtful look on his face. She felt herself smile.

He was a good friend. He was a good guy...

Max turned on to her side, feeling courageous once more, wrapping her arm through his, entwining their fingers. She felt his fingers jerk in surprise, but then he relaxed. Eventually, he grasped her hand back, and she heard him sigh lightly. She pressed her forehead against his shoulder, closing her eyes.

"Good night, Warren."

"G'night, Max."

* * *

**A/N: Finished. Oh boy, that was fun to write. All of it. Although, I did enjoy writing about Warren and Max. They need more love! Like I said at the beginning, I know some people don't like Warren and he gets in the way of the ChloexMax ship, but still. Share the love, yo!  
**

**I also thought the Frank bit was an interesting challenge, since we currently know next to nothing about him and his true intentions or whatever. Oh well, it's all up to your interpretation, I suppose. **

***Frank's dog hasn't been named yet, so I named the dog Donnie because Frank's name is a reference to Donnie Darko.**

****I've never heard of this happening until I wrote this story, and researched it. Apparently, thundersnow is a thing. I've never witnessed anything like that before. **

*****Best Website Ever. Go listen to it. Now. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**xLazyxWriterx**


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